The Rancho Gordo Newsletter

The Book List

Peter Miller: Lunch at the Shop: The Art and Practice of the Midday MealThe author loves beans (but fails to mention ours!), has a great aesthetic and writes clear, simple recipes. I read it and loved most of it but kept thinking of how I could adapt my food to this concept. And I have! Rancho Gordo now has a pepper mill and a paninni press and we're working on a more functional kitchen. Now, that's the power to inspire.

Ricardo Munoz Zurita: Larousse Diccionario Enciclopedico de la Gastronomia Mexicana (Spanish Edition)A real masterpiece. Really one of the most important books on Mexican cooking you can find. This is an expanded version and the word is that an English-language version is coming out one day, but I've heard this for almost 10 years. Mexican books go out of print quickly so if you're serious about the food, don't hesitate!
My only complaint is that it's not as attractive as the previous version. Larousse can use a new graphics team. (*****)

Reyna Grande: The Distance Between Us: A MemoirNo dry eyes by the end of this inspiring story. A must read for anyone who wants to form an opinion about immigration policy but also a tender story about family and forgiving the ones we love who don't always do the right thing. Sensational. (*****)

Luis Martin Lozano: Diego Rivera, The Complete MuralsDo you deserve a treat? Don't linger on the price and know you are investing in hours of pleasure from Mexico's master muralist. Possibly the biggest book you'll ever own. Most of the important paintings are included as well. (*****)

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About Rancho Gordo and this blog

We grow many varieties of New World products, specializing in heirloom beans. We sell only domestically in the US at this point, via our website (ranchogordo.com), directly to restaurants and at farmers markets. The older I get, the more I realize I've barely begun to scratch the surface of the things that interest me, so this blog is hardly the last word on anything, just a collection of experiments. If you have questions, more information or corrections, I'd love to hear from you in the "comments" section after each post.

October 17, 2013

Direct Canning Dried Beans

This was a new one on me. Check out this video.

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I was intrigued and I had to try it. One internet commenter asked why one would bother. Why not just make them in a pressure cooker? For me, some beans like baby limas or garbanzos, I just want a little bit. I don't need a whole pot. I also like the idea of beans in my larder, ready to go with just a little heating up.

I bought a pressure canner (yes, I know I'm a little obsessive) and went to work. I differed from Aunt Duddie in that I added 2 cloves of garlic, a teaspoon of Oregano Indio and about a tablespoon of olive oil in each jar before filling them with boiling water. I did everything else as suggested and guess what? They came out great.

I can't wait to try this with different types of beans and see how they do. My concerns, and if you are a canner i'd love to hear what you think, are the olive oil and garlic. Will this remain shelf-stable even though I added oil? Does it make any difference.

I heard all the jars "ping" and I checked their seals this morning and the lids are on tight.

One other concern is I left some head space but some of the beans continued to suck up the liquid and the head space is more than recommended. Does this extra air matter?

Comments

Our preservationist: "Concern: think confit; garlic in oil is an anaerobic environment. Canning garlic with oil in combination with possible improper canning can lead to botulism, particularly with the addition of protein in the beans." Headspace is also an issue as it will weaken your seal over time; equalling the other end of spoilage. Botulism will give you no indication of its existence. She suggests 'not' using olive oil and cooking & pickling your garlic prior to using. You may wish to refrigerate these or use as soon as possible. When canning proteins, meat or otherwise, make sure you are either following a specific canning recipe AND OR monitoring your ph. Sorry for the scare tactics, but botulism is serious.

Thank you both. I love that within one minute I got two responses and the exact opposite info!
I will experiment w/o oil and see if that makes a difference. Without using oil, I'm sure the garlic won't be a problem. I want to see the difference in flavor.
One interesting thing to note was that one teaspoon of oregano indio was much stronger like this than it would be if I'd added dried to a stovetop version.
This is a lot of fun for me.

I am very concerned about the safety of the instructions you found for adding oil to the canned beans. It will change the heat transfer in the jars and could make them unsafe. Before using those instructions I would confirm that they had been carefully tested by a certified food testing lab or food processing specialist.

Given the amount of onion and garlic, neither should be a problem adding them to canned beans. The only concern with adding oil is that it may interfere with the seal. Before placing the lids on, I usually wipe the rims of the jars with vinegar to make sure there isn't any oil residue.